HUNDREDS of staff who work for the fire service have criticised how it is being run.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service commissioned an independent company to find out how engaged staff felt.

About half of the 1,500 staff responded with the conclusion engagement is “very weak”.

The staff feel they are doing a good job for the service, but the people running it are not, with the figures, showing they feel let down.

Some 89 per cent care about the service and only four in ten would recommend it as a place to work.

The fire service missed the target for the number of people proud to work there, the number who feel involved, recognised, rewarded or managed effectively.

Only 37 per cent felt involved and only 27 per cent thought change was being managed well.

Staff feel it is getting worse with only 13 per cent answering yes to the question: “Is it a better place to work than three years ago?

Less than a quarter think different parts of the service work well together and less than one-in-five think the service considers them when making decisions.

Alan Chinn-Shaw, Essex Fire Brigades’ Union branch secretary, said: “This should not come as a surprise.

“This is what we have been telling them for a while.

“Morale is at the lowest it has ever been.

“They say they are putting things in place to rectify this and make people feel rewarded but they are not listening and they are not consulting.

“They are deciding what is best for the workforce and satisfaction is going down.

“This is an opportunity to engage with the FBU and work together to improve things. But they are still taking the attitude ‘we know what is best for you’.”

A spokesman for the fire service said plans are being put in place to improve the relationship between staff and management, the board and the fire authority.

A new employee engagement strategy action plan has been put together by the fire service to combat the problems.

It includes competency assessments, mentoring support for managers and considering the impact on staff when deciding on major changes to the service.

A reward and recognition strategy for the service is also being considered.